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Laurence Vail
by George J. Dance Laurence Vail (1891-1968) was an American poet and artist.Modernism: An anthology (edited by Lawrence Rainey), John Wiley, 2005, 439. Google Books, Web, Aug. 11, 2015. Life Vail was born in Paris, the son of artist Eugène Vail. As a child, he frequently travelled throughout Europe with his father.Laurence Vail, Spartacus Educational. Web, Aug. 11 2015. Vail studied at the University of Oxford. Afterward he returned to Paris, where he wrote, painted, and sculpted, living on an allowance provided by his father. He associated with artists Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, and was nicknamed the "king of the bohemians". Peggy Guggenheim described Vail, whom she met at that time, in her 1979 autobiography: :He was about twenty-eight at this time, and to me he appeared like someone out of another world. He was the first man I knew who never wore a hat. His beautiful, streaky golden hair streamed all over as the wind caught it. I was shocked by his freedom but fascinated at the same time... He was like a wild creature. He never seemed to care what people thought. Vail married Guggenheim in 1922. The couple traveled in Egypt and Switzerland before settling at Pramousquier in the south of France. They had 2 children, Michael Cedric Sinbad (born 1923) and Jezebel Margaret Pegeen (born 1924). Guggenheim began an affair with John Holmes in 1928, and left Vail; he subsequently wrote about their marriage in his 1932 novel, Murder! Murder!. Vail moved to Paris, where he lived until the German invasion of France in World War II. He then moved to New York City (where he exhibited art with Duchamp at the Art of This Century Gallery). After the war, he returned to Paris, where he had solo exhibitions. He also exhibited at the Galleria del Cavallino in Venice, the Galleria del Naviglio in Milan and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He died in Paris. Recognition In popular culture Vail is portrayed in the 2015 documentary film, Peggy Guggenheim: Art addict, as "a horrible, wife-beating drunk who got his kicks humiliating his first wife Peggy Guggenheim in bars ... a dabbler and gadabout at best. He made a little sculpture, a little collage, wrote a book that was never published. He was called 'The King of Bohemia,' but that just makes it sound like he partied a lot with artists."Lisa Janssen, "The Tortured Children of Laurence 'the King of Bohema' Vail," Please Kill Me, March 7, 2017. Web, Jan. 30, 2019. See also *List of U.S. poets Publication Poetry *''Two Poems''. New York: Modern Editions Press, 19-? *''Meek Madness in Capri; or, Suicide for effect''. Chicago: Danaides Press, 2013. Novel *''Piri and I''. New York: Leiber & Lewis, 1923. *''Murder! Murder''. London: Peter Davies, 1931. Edited *''365 Days'' (short story anthology; edited with Kay Boyle & Nina Conarain). New York: Harcourt Brace, 1936; London: Cape, 1936. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Laurence Vail, WorldCat. OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 11, 2015. References Notes External links ;Poems *"Grey Crust" in Poetry: A magazine of verse ;About *Laurence Vail at Spartacus Educational *"The Tortured Children of Laurence 'The King of Bohemia' Vail," at Please Kill Me Category:1891 births Category:1968 deaths Category:20th-century poets Category:American artists Category:American poets Category:American expatriates in France Category:English-language poets Category:Poets